Trail Log · Sunday, August 2, 2026
Kelly Flats and Bald Mountain
- 1Kelly Flats10.3 mi
- 2Bald Mountain14.8 mi
Trails in order, from the Poudre Canyon
Roosevelt National Forest between the Poudre Canyon and Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Kelly Flats to the top, then Bald Mountain from Bellaire Lake to Green Ridge Road, on trail 9:39 AM to 1:41 PM in Sucia, a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JLU Sport.
Elevation
Feet along the track, from onX’s elevations (USGS 10 m model)
- Kelly Flats
- Heart Attack Hill
- Bald Mountain
- Side road
The day
9:39 AM–1:41 PM · moving 3h 18m, stopped 31 min across 7 stops
- Kelly Flats
- Heart Attack Hill
- Bald Mountain
- Side road
- Stopped
Trail review
From our run, the track, and the published guides
The trail
Kelly Flats climbs out of the Poudre Canyon from Kelly Flats Campground to Wintersteen Park Road, about 10.5 miles. COTREX rates it difficult, and Heart Attack Hill, at the half-mile mark, is the steep, loose direct line, with Aneurysm Hill as the loop to the east. Bald Mountain, forest road 517, runs west from near Bellaire Lake through the burned remains of a lodgepole pine forest to nearly 11,000 ft, then drops to Green Ridge Road. Trails Offroad calls it “one of the more popular trails near Red Feather Lakes,” with a rocky middle section and a muddy stretch near the west end, and it is the middle leg of the Mud Loop with Seven Mile and Green Ridge Road.
Our run
Sunday, August 2. The first recording starts at 9:39 AM a short way above Kelly Flats Campground, takes Heart Attack Hill again, where the steepest pitch of the day, 31% over 100 m, comes about a third of a mile up, and runs 9.0 miles along the ridge to the top of the trail at 8,319 ft, a little past where we turned around in May. The drive over to Bellaire Lake isn’t recorded. Bald Mountain starts there at 11:22 AM and climbs to 10,728 ft, then runs west to Green Ridge Road at 10,139 ft, with a short side road out and back near the end. From there we headed home by way of Deadman Road. About 5,400 ft of climbing across the two recordings.
Good to know
- At the half-mile split on Kelly Flats, Heart Attack Hill is the direct line and Aneurysm Hill is the loop to the east. The two rejoin about a mile up.
- COTREX warns that Kelly Flats gets extremely muddy after rain, and Trails Offroad describes a muddy stretch near the west end of Bald Mountain.
- Trails Offroad lists Bald Mountain as open June 15 to November 30.
- Bald Mountain is the middle leg of the Mud Loop, with Seven Mile and Green Ridge Road, per Trails Offroad.
Leg by leg
| Leg | Road | Time | Distance | Moving | Stopped | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Flats, to Heart Attack Hill | Kelly Flats trail | 9:39–9:41 AM | 0.21 mi | 2 min | 0 | 7,031 → 7,047 ft |
| Heart Attack Hill | Kelly Flats trail, direct line | 9:41–9:59 AM | 1.04 mi | 14 min | 4 min | 7,047 → 7,615 ft |
| Kelly Flats, up to the top | Kelly Flats trail | 9:59–11:09 AM | 9.03 mi | 1h 03m | 6 min | 7,615 → 8,319 ft, high 8,662 ft |
| Bald Mountain, west from Bellaire Lake | Bald Mountain, FS 517 | 11:22 AM–1:17 PM | 10.77 mi | 1h 35m | 21 min | 8,646 → 9,983 ft, high 10,728 ft |
| Side road, out and back | Side road | 1:17–1:25 PM | 0.78 mi | 8 min | 0 | 9,983 → 9,973 ft |
| Bald Mountain, on to Green Ridge Road | Bald Mountain, FS 517 | 1:25–1:41 PM | 3.28 mi | 16 min | 0 | 9,973 → 10,139 ft |
| Total | 9:39 AM–1:41 PM | 25.1 mi | 3h 18m | 31 min | +5,400 ft |